July 2008

July 1, 2008

Below is a monthly column, written by International Paper's Mark Sullivan, president of the Council of Communication Management (CCM). If you have comments, please contact him at mark.sullivan@ipaper.com or 901.419.4072.

Dear CCM colleagues:

It's hard to fathom that six months of 2008 are already behind us. Tightening belts, doing more with less, and the elimination of costs are part of our daily diet. With a slowing of the economy, a likely recession, and soaring fuel and other input costs, the final half of the year will keep our attention.

I told a story at conference about my mountain-climbing buddy who aspired to ascend to the top of a large mountain near his home. He thought that if he reached that peak, his life would be complete. However, as he finally lunged for that last rock at the top, he could see a higher, more majestic mountain with multiple peaks across the valley. After enjoying the scenery for a few moments and giving thanks, he began plotting his strategy for the next new challenge.

That's where we are as an organization -- planning our strategy to reach new peaks. For July, this column's focus is centered on increasing our membership with highly experienced, senior people from around the world, and enhancing our marketing focus.

A Growth Plan: One of the positive benefits of CCM is our size. With about 300 members, we strive to be a close-knit group of quality, senior communications professionals who are helping our businesses be successful. Our size gives members the opportunity to be involved at an intimate level. The question is how large can we be without losing that closeness?

Based on feedback from you, we have set a stretch goal to bring in 100 highly experienced and seasoned members. But, this is not simply a numbers game. Adding new members will strengthen the organization, help our balance sheet, provide opportunities to do more for the industry, and give us the means to further define and tell our story more broadly. Another priority is member retention. We must ensure CCM continues to deliver value to all of you, our esteemed members, so that you remain active. We hope that by communicating often, involving you, and listening to your ideas, we will provide you the incentive to reconfirm your CCM membership year after year. Whether you're a long-term member or someone who is newer to the organization, we need you in the game. We are looking for potential members who have much responsibility; those who will help us be more successful in the communications industry. While we certainly want to add quality members from the academia and consulting worlds, our current efforts are focused on recruiting top-level communications professionals from the top companies. We need your help in identifying and recommending these people. If you have ideas or possible recruits, contact the membership team: Liz Guthridge, Pat Aylward, Heather Black, Alexandra Gallo, John Jensen, Tom Lutzy, Melanie Meharchand, Heather Rim and Bill Tavani. Their contact info is on the web at ccmconnection.com.

Global Focus: Thomas Friedman's "The World Is Flat" is an account of the rapid changes taking place as lightning-swift advances in communications and technology put people from all corners of the world in touch like never before. Being more global must be a part of our group's DNA. We have created a team of members to focus on growing our organization globally. Steve Church and Mike Klein are leading this important effort. Other members of the team are Heather Black, Chris Myrantz, Angela Sinickas, Peter Symons and Ellen Zettel. We have asked them to develop a strategy by September 1. Just imagine the possibilities -- new members with various global backgrounds and cultures, global speakers participating in Hot Topics and at conference, ListServ questions highlighting the challenges of communicating globally, and CCM being represented at meetings abroad on topics critical to our industry. Diversity of thought will only strengthen our organization.

Telling the CCM Story: During my recent conversations with members, marketing the organization more effectively rose to the top. Howard Smith and his creative team are putting together a marketing strategy. CCM has branded itself as "the best minds in the business." But, what are we known for? What do people say about us? We should stop touting ourselves as a "best kept" secret. It's time to raise our visibility and impact. As you attend conferences and meetings, talk to others about CCM. Once someone learns about who we are and what we stand for, they invariably ask for an application. It bothers me when someone --who should know about us -- says, "I've never heard of CCM." The time has come to break out and educate the masses about the merits of CCM. This could range from advertising, a speaker's bureau, an elevator speech, getting our name higher in search engines, in-kind links on our sites with like-minded organizations, banner ads on related sites, ensuring CCM is listed on our Linkedin and Facebook pages, etc.  We will spend some money in this area, but we'll invest the dollars wisely and keep you updated on the progress. Please get involved and help market the organization. In the coming days, this team will be sending you a CCM one-pager -- an elevator speech -- that you can use. Please look for it and help us spread our good news. Committee members are Fran Melmed, Geri Rhoades, Howard Smith, and Teryl Taglieri.

Next month, I will discuss the various tools that CCM offers such as Hot Topics, ListServ, conference, website, CCMSPAN, and others. We are not IABC, PRSA or Ragan's. We are CCM, and we should be proud of that fact. Feel free to reach out to me with your input on any of these topics. Also, be on the lookout for two brief membership surveys on membership and technology. Let your voice be heard.

My late grandfather once told me, "Mark, make sure you're not just waiting for someone else to focus on things, or hoping that things will improve on their own...figure out what's going on and develop a plan to make a difference." Things are definitely not broken within CCM, but we can be so much more. The vision is large, the challenges many, but we have the right people to adjust the face of CCM.

For years, CCM has reached high mountaintops of effectiveness and impact, But there are new goals to reach, greater results to achieve and an amazing story to tell. This work can't be accomplished by one person, a board or a particular team; it will take everyone pulling on the same end of the rope to create and maintain an organization that will be viable for decades. What role will you play?

My best,

Mark

mark.sullivan@ipaper.com

901.419.4072